The summer months are the perfect time of year for alfresco dining, so why not join in and enjoy the fresh air by taking part in National Picnic Week (22-28 June)?
Picnicking through the ages
Historians believe the word picnic comes from the French term ‘Pique-nique’ in the 17th century, which was a word used to describe connoisseurs of food who brought their own wine when dining out. It was a fashionable and social event where each guest would contribute something.
The trend began to become more popular over the years, however up until the Victorian era picnics were primarily an activity for the wealthy as only some families could afford the alfresco lifestyle of eating out and sharing food.
As times have moved on the picnic has become a more casual and social activity across all households that many families love to enjoy. In the UK alone the average person now picnics at least 3 times a year, which means 94 million picnics a year in total!*.
A British classic
Picnic foods are as popular as ever with sandwiches, pies, sausage rolls, and salads still being firm favourites, however if you’re looking for a twist on a picnic staple then why not try Audley’s recipe for chorizo and scotch quail eggs, a delicious alternative to the classic scotch egg which dates back to 1738. It’s believed the famous scotch egg was originally created in London at the Fortnum & Mason department store where they still sell them today.
C H O R I Z O S C O T C H Q U A I L E G G S
Ingredients
- 12 quail eggs
- 100g breadcrumbs
- 100g flaked almonds
- 40g flat parsley
- 250g cooking chorizo
- 2 hens eggs
- 3 tablespoons plain flour
- Oil for frying
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- Salt & pepper
M E T H O D
1. Poach the quail eggs in water with the tablespoon of vinegar for 1 minute. Take off the heat and leave in a pan for another 30 seconds.
2. Take the quail eggs out and put them in a bowl of ice-cold water for about 10 minutes to cool.
3. Blend the breadcrumbs, parsley and almonds in a food processor and blend until fine. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to dish.
4. Remove the skin of the chorizo, chop up and blend in the food processor. Add one hen egg and blitz again in the processor.
5. Divide the chorizo mixture into 12 small balls.
6. Set up a bowl of flour, a bowl of beaten egg, and the breadcrumb mix in the third.
7. Place a chorizo ball onto a piece of cling film, flatten as thin as you can. Take the quail egg and place it on top of the chorizo. Wrap the chorizo around the quail egg, so that it creates a coating (like a scotch egg), then wrap the cling film around the chorizo, twisting the end to make the cling film tight. It should look ball shaped.
8. Unwrap the scotch egg. First, roll in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg, and finally in the breadcrumb. Repeat the egg and breadcrumb mix to give a good coating. Then repeat this process with the remaining eggs.
9. Heat oil to 180⁰C. Lower scotch eggs into the oil using a slotted spoon. Fry for 5 minutes. Only cook 2 or 3 at a time. When cooked, spoon onto kitchen paper to absorb some of the oil.
10. Add smoked paprika with mayonnaise as a dipping sauce for your scotch egg.
Find more healthy recipes on Audley Stories, as well as some slightly less healthy ones to treat yourself with from time to time!
